One of the most important freedoms in America is our right to free speech. We are not the only country with this freedom but there are still places where citizen do not have this freedom. Saudi Arabia is one of those places. Tuesday, October 2nd, a Saudi Journalist named Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and he never came out. He left his fiance outside and when he didn’t return she notified authorities. It is suspected by the Turkish government that Khashoggi was killed. He had been previously banned from Saudi Arabia after criticizing the government. In my opinion being banned from your own country because you questioned the acts of the government is insane. But now to come back and to kill the man is even worse. This is not the only case in Saudi Arabia where people have been exiled, detained, tortured, or killed because of what they said. Since the Crowned Prince has stepped up these arrest have become more common in a clear attempt to crack down those questioning Saudi rule. This has help further the Turkish governments belief that the Saudi government was directly involved in the disappearance of Khashoggi. I believe freedom of speech not only allows a government to be able to hear its people and change according to their needs but it also creates stability. Citizens who are able to speak up and feel as though they have a voice in their government are less likely to revolt. Fortunately, for Saudi Arabia, their economy is doing well, therefore a revolt is less likely. The Saudi government is in no way a democracy and there are no signs that it will be moving that way anytime soon. From a western point of view the lack of democracy and free speech is intolerable. Hopefully in the coming days we will have a distinct answer as to how involved the Saudi government was in the journalist disappearance.
